Companies work hard to court consumers with marketing strategies but often neglect internal brand loyalty. A truly winning brand is built from the inside out and becomes a way of life that insiders believe in and embrace. When the people within a company feel genuine pride for their own brand, customers will desire to be part of it.
“A company’s ability to unite the organisation around an enduring purpose and deliver consistent promises relevant to its time will determine its state of advantage,” Lawrence Chong, Director for Strategy Development at Consulus Cato Partners, said at the latest installment of the Shape the World workshop series jointly organised by Consulus and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).
Chong shared that a company with an insider culture would have their own language and a shared mission to lead the industry. This insider culture would start from the founders and unite the whole company, with one example being Steve Jobs and Apple.
While inspiration might come from the founders’ charisma or passion for the brand, it must to be institutionalised. By establishing practices as a physical reminder, internal culture can be shaped and employees included in the building of the brand.
Brands thrive with internal activists as it is a credible form of marketing and, thus, the best investment a brand can make. This was supported with case studies presented during the talk.
The second half of the workshop had attendees try out what they have learnt about internal culture with a sample case. It gave participants a more practical understanding of insider branding that can be applied to their own companies.
“This workshop is important [because it helps] companies to understand the basic requirements to get it right starting with their foundation. Understanding this will bring the company a long way,” one of the participants, Soh Tiong Peng, Director at CreativePM, said.
